Sutyagin gets 15 years
The Moscow City court sentenced Sutyagin to 15 years in a maximum-security prison.
2004
332 posts
When it rains, it pours: Afghanistan and Iraq
The New York Times is reporting that, contrary to “repeated statements by the Bush administration and American officials in Iraq”, U.S. intellgience officials “are confronting a broad-based Shiite uprising that goes well beyond supporters of one militant Islamic cleric who…
More Wolfowitz Delusions
Wolfowitz, in October 2003, responding to suggestions that an ambush that killed several Ukranian soldiers might dash hopes for a more international force: Actually, I visited down in that area. I met with the commander of the multinational force. It’s…
Zhang Aiping and the Giant Wave (Julang)
As I try to write a section in the dissertation on the principles of design behind the Chinese nuclear arsenal, I am confronted by the following two passages, both written by the eminent political scientist John Lewis (no relation): “Zhang…
US Strikes Mosque in Fallujah
The Associated Press is reporting that we struck a mosque in Fallujah with three missiles, killing 40 people. The Washington Post reports that a command post authorized the strike after several requests from local commanders for air strikes against the…
Rumsfeld Grudgingly Admits Obvious
Al-Jazeera has a priceless photo of Rumsfeld admitting we have a “serious problem” in Iraq. In the “possibly fabricated evidence of a serious problem” department, alongside Iraqi WMD programs, the Evening Standard reports “Saddam Hussein has been moved out of…
CENTCOM: No Damage to the Mosque
CENTCOM is saying they didn’t actually hit the mosque: To gain access to the compound housing the mosque, the release continued, the Marines used air support to breach a wall several hundred yards away from the actual mosque structure. One…
Russian Arms Control Researcher Convicted
Igor Sutyagin, a scholar at Moscow’s Institute of USA and Canada Studies (ISKRAN), has been convicted on trumped-up espionage charges. Russia’s Federal Security Bureau (the old KGB) has alleged he sold unclassified information about nuclear submarines and missile warning systems…
Zhao Ziyang Ailing
Zhao Ziyang is reportedly near death. The New York Times hits the high notes: Anointed as a successor to Deng Xiaoping, the country’s paramount leader, Mr. Zhao favored a relatively bold pace of political and economic reform. His hold on…
Brazil Rebuffs IAEA
The Brazilian government has refused to allow IAEA inspectors to examine the Resende uranium enrichment plant near Rio de Janeiro. “We feel deeply bothered, almost offended, when suspicions are raised about Brazil,” a senior Brazilian diplomat told the Washington Post.…